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Monday, April 17, 2017

US Navy resume T-45C training flights

U.S. Navy has lifted the brief operational grounding of the T-45C Goshawk trainer jets on Monday, after devising a temporary solution to the concerns raised by T-45C pilots.
T-45C instructor pilots had raised operational risk management (ORM) concerns over recent physiological episodes experienced in the cockpit that were caused by contamination of the aircraft's Onboard Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS).

Flight operations resumed using a modified mask, successfully tested by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), that circumvents the aircraft's On Board Oxygen Generator System (OBOGS).

Initially, instructor pilots will conduct warm-up flights, after which they will brief the remaining pilots and students in their squadrons on use of the modified equipment.

As the week progresses all instructor pilots will complete their warm-up flights, followed by warm-ups and training flights for student pilots.

The maximum cabin altitude will be limited to below 10,000 feet in order be able to operate without using the OBOGS system. Through the new solution, 75 percent of the flight training syllabus can be covered.

The T-45C Goshawk is a two-seat, single-engine, carrier-capable jet trainer aircraft used by the Navy and Marine Corps for intermediate and advanced jet training.

The T-45 is a derivative of the British Aerospace Hawk and has been in service since 1991. The Navy currently has 197 T-45s in its inventory based at Naval Air Stations Kingsville, Meridian and Pensacola.